Free Republic

Apparently, the no-tipping test at Joe's Crab Shack isn't working out. The casual seafood chain announced in November that it had been trying out a no-tipping model in 18 of its restaurants across the country since August. But less than a year later, the company is moving back to the standard gratuity model in 14 of the test locations. ... "Our customers and staff spoke very loudly [about the policy], and a lot of them voted with their feet," he said.

CEO casts his net for downtown City, Fertitta bank on Kemah theme By ALLAN TURNER Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Meet the P.T. Barnum of fried shrimp. With the chutzpah of a sideshow barker, Tilman Fertitta, the one-time seller of women's dresses and vitamins, has used Ferris wheels, aquariums, miniature trains, dancing waiters and mechanical gorillas to transform two sleepy Houston-area seafood eateries into an international restaurant empire. A boaster, a benefactor, a friend of Bill Clinton, Fertitta has propelled his Landry's Restaurants Inc., which also owns Joe's Crab Shack, Willie G's and Rainforest Cafe, to revenues topping $756 million. Recent...